1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices and methods for locating, isolating and protecting ureters during hysterectomy procedures, in certain embodiments providing an illuminating cup or ring or cap over which vaginal cervical tissue is positioned.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known methods of removal of the uterus consist of minimally invasive methods such as laparoscopy and robotic laparoscopic methods. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,698, describing the primary approaches. A problem that arises during removal of the uterus is the close anatomical relationship of vascular and ureteral structures that may be injured. It is known to use a cup or ring that surrounds the cervix and is used to compress upwardly the vaginal cervical tissue juncture to compress and deflect these structures, thereby helping to reduce damage to the ureters and/or the uterine artery. However, current colpotomizer devices and methods fail to enable critical visualization of the location of the colpotomizer device, specifically, the cup ring device. This failure requires surgeons to awkwardly attempt to locate the device by instrument palpation, a process that is inaccurate and time consuming, requiring repetitive reassessment and introduces the unnecessary hazard of a misguided incision. During robotic surgeries due to loss of force feedback (haptics), palpation is either severely reduced or not appreciated and can lead to making improperly placed incisions, resulting in unnecessary patient injury.
In addition, known colpotomy procedures provide a colpotomy cup which comes in standard sizes, e.g., small, medium and large. Such cups often do not provide an optimal fit; the cup selected should just cover the whole cervix. If, for example, the cup is too large, the ureters will be pulled toward the colpotomy incision, placing the ureters and potentially the uterine artery at risk of damage. Standard, non-customized sized cups present an unnecessary risk to the patient in cases where the fit is not optimal.
The present invention overcomes these deficiencies.